Stars Bernard Behrens Cynthia Belliveau David B. His original opening bits are colorized for re-use here. Starring: Alred Hitchcock (Host) Director: Robert Stevens. 22m IMDb RATING 7.7 /10 3.2K YOUR RATING Rate Crime Drama Mystery Updated remakes of classic stories from Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962), originally produced by the Master of Suspense. The 15-minute bonus featurette, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents: A Look Back" is perfunctory at best, but it's nice to see new anecdotal interviews with Norman Lloyd, assistant director Hilton Green, and Hitchcock's daughter Pat (a frequent performer on these episodes), who survived to see their popular series benefit from the archival convenience of DVD. Packed onto three double-sided DVDs, these 39 episodes hold up remarkably well, and while some prints show the wear and tear of syndication, they look and sound surprisingly good (although audio compression will cause many viewers to turn up the volume). With such stellar talent on weekly display, Alfred Hitchcock Presents paved the way for Thriller, The Twilight Zone, and other series that maximized the anthology format's storytelling potential. Adding to the series' prestige was a weekly roster of new and seasoned stars, with first-season appearances by Cloris Leachman, Darren McGavin, Everett Sloane, Peter Lawford, Charles Bronson, Barry Fitzgerald, John Cassavetes, Joanne Woodward, Thelma Ritter, and a host of Hollywood's best-known character players. (The fourth episode, "Don't Come Back Alive," is also a popular favorite, with the kind of sinister twist that became a series trademark.) Robert Stevenson directed the majority of the remaining episodes with similar skill, serving tightly plotted tales (selected by associate producers Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd) by such literary greats as Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich, Dorothy L. Hitchcock directed four of the first season's 39 episodes, including the premiere episode "Revenge" (a fan favorite, with future Psycho costar Vera Miles) and the season highlight "Breakdown," with Joseph Cotten as a car-accident victim, paralyzed and motionless, who's nearly left for dead it's a perfect example of visual and narrative economy, executed with a master's touch. It's also what attracted a stable of talented writers whose tele plays, both original and adapted, maintained a high standard of excellence. This knowing complicity was Hitchcock's pact with his audience, and the secret to his (and the series') long-term success. though always with a nod and a wink to the viewer. Every Sunday at 9:30 p.m., the series began with the familiar theme of Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" (which would thereafter be inextricably linked with Hitchcock), and as Hitchcock's trademark profile sketch was overshadowed by the familiar silhouette of Hitchcock himself, the weekly "play" opened and closed with the series' most popular feature: As a good-natured host whose inimitable presence made him a global celebrity, Hitchcock delivered droll, dryly sardonic introductions and epilogues to each week's episode, flawlessly written by James Allardyce and frequently taking polite pot-shots at CBS sponsors, or skirting around broadcast standards (which demanded that no crime could go unpunished) by humorously explaining how the show's killers and criminals were always brought to justice. The series' original half-hour anthology format provided a perfect showcase for stories of mystery, suspense, and the macabre that reflected Hitchcock's established persona. Guest star: Ray Teal (Police Lieutenant), Frances Bavier (Mrs. ( TV.When it premiered on CBS on October 2, 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents was an instant hit destined for long-term popularity. As the woman reaches for the car's keys the gambler notices that her left hand has only one finger and a thumb. She claims that the convertible is hers and that her husband has nothing to bet since she has already won everything he owns. After the gambler manages to light his lighter seven times in a row, the bet is called off after the intervention of the a woman who claims to be the man's wife. Favorited This series has been favorited by 388 people. Each episode stands alone, delving into horror, comedy, suspense, and the supernatural. A girl and another gambler watch as bet starts. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962) was a mystery and suspense anthology hosted by the master of suspense himself - Alfred Hitchcock. If, however, the lighter fails, the gambler must give up the little finger of his left hand. If the gambler can ignite his lighter ten times in a row, the man will give up his costly convertible. The story was later refilmed for Roald Dahl's UK TV series " Tales of the Unexpected".Īn out of his luck gambler is intrigued when a man makes an unusual bet. "Man from the South" was originally broadcast on 03/Jan/1960 as part of the fifth season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
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